discoverythathestillhadanaudienceof
fans,gavehimtheconfidencetostartWedu
inMay2016. The sponsors, Armstrong told
himself, “are not coming back. So I’ll just
create my own thing.”
In 2017, with The Forward generating
buzz, Armstrong began selling T-shirts and
trucker hats featuring Selman’s design: a
forward arrow with a crick in the middle.
He also launched his second podcast, The
Move, beginning with daily coverage of that
year’sTourdeFrance.Theepisodesfea-
turedArmstrongandlongtimeAustinradio
personalityJBHager. The crew eventually
included Bruyneel and George Hincapie, a
teammate who later turned accuser. “We
went through a period where we didn’t talk
much,” says Hincapie, who in addition to his
podcast duties co-owns Hincapie Sportswear
Inc., an apparel company, and the cycling-
themed Hotel Domestique in Travelers Rest,
S.C. (In cycling, domestique, French for“servant,”referstoa
lesser rider who fetches water bottles fortheteamleader.)
The same year, Armstrong and HigginsheldtwoWedu
rides: the Aspen Fifty, near Armstrong’sColoradosummer
home, and the Texas Hundred, held in theHillCountrynorth
of Austin. The events, which cost participantsabout$200
each for the Aspen race and $100 for theTexasone,areproof
that Armstrong still has committed fans.Atlastyear’sTexas
Hundred, some 500 riders showed up,includinga Seattleite
who rode a vintage U.S. Postal bike. Afterfinishing,Armstrong
changed out of his Wedu Lycra and mingledforanhouror
so with the attendees, taking selfies andsigningautographs,
including one on the frame of the superfan’sbike.Beforeleav-
ing, Armstrong noted the turnout—theracehadattracted 70
more people than the previous year’s edition.“Movinginthe
right direction,” he said.
In addition to the event revenue, apparelsales,andadver-
tising, Wedu makes money through an NPR-stylemembership
program, where superfans pay $60 a yeartogeta T-shirt,some
stickers, early access to gear, and specialmembers-onlypod-
casts.Sofar,Higginssays,thousandsofpeoplehavesignedup.
It’sallmodestfornow,butasthebrandgetsbetterknown—
andashismoralfailuresfadeintothepast—heexpectsmer-
chandise sales will improve. “We wereveryconservativeon
merchandise,” he says, referring to themodestselectionand
limited quantities Wedu sold initially.“Wewon’tbeconser-
vative again.”
Part of the appeal of Armstrong’s podcastsis thathe’sstrangely,
unexpectedly vulnerable. During his career,hetendedtotreat
press conferences like depositions and waspronetoangryout-
bursts. (“You are not worth the chair thatyouaresittingon,”
he once snapped at a British newspapercolumnist.)Whilehe
was speaking at the Volatility Summit, 30 minutes or so after
meeting me backstage,Armstronggavemea somewhatawk-
ward shout-out from thestage.“Ihatethemedia,I’lljustbe
honest,” he said after mentioningmebyname.(“Ifeltbadsay-
ing that,” he says later.)
Of course, now, in additiontohatingthepress,Armstrong
is the press. He says hetriestoavoidadoptinganykindof
adversarial position in interviews,buthesometimesfindshim-
self rooting for controversy despite himself. During the 2017
Tour, when a top sprinter, Peter Sagan, elbowed another well-
known rider, Mark Cavendish, who fell and broke his shoul-
der, listenership to the podcast spiked. “That’s what’s f---ed
up,” Armstrong tells me. “You wake up and think, We need a
crash or something.”
On The Forward, he seems especially drawn to exploring
shame, both his own and his guests’. In an interview with Mia
Khalifa, a former adult-film star turned social media influencer,
Armstrong likened the stigma of sex work to his own struggles.
“Ihavea tonofempathyforyou,”hesaid,afterKhalifatalked
abouthereffortstoputthepastbehindher.“WhenI openarti-
clesaboutyou,everyoneofthemstarts‘pornstar.’” He went
on,sayinghe,likeKhalifa,wastryingtoreinventhimself.“If
youputmynameinGoogle,andpullup 10 articles,everyone
ofthosearticlesstarts‘disgraced.’”
If Armstrong believes he’s rebuilt some part of the sports
business clout he lost from Nike with Wedu, losing his status
as a great cancer warrior still seems to genuinely sadden him.
He’ll sometimes record video messages for patients who fol-
low him on social media, but he’s less certain about his pros-
pects as a philanthropist. “Livestrong is never going to reach
out again,” he says. “And it almost feels like since they’re out,
nobody else will either.”
He says that’s OK. “I’m happy doing what I do, and I’m
happy with what I did,” he continues. “The bank is full in my
heart.” <BW>Bloomberg Businessweek August5, 2019
49Armstrong taping with The Move co-host Hager